November 29, 2009 - 3:10pm
PR's English muffins...
were a no-go. The dough is great- airy, light, looks great while cooking, but, alas, no english-muffiny holes when they are split. I know this topis has been covered ad nauseum but I just had to vent. I even upped the buttermilk just a smidge hoping that would work- nope. So, I guess it is back to Alton Brown's recipe. I have always had great results with that one. I was just hoping for one that I didn't have to use molds. Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. The Critic said she really liked the flovor but agrees with me that they aren't quite right.
Amaz the bowed and humbled...
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Yep, tried the same thing, with the same results. Sad. Oh well, Altons are really good and not too much trouble. I didn't want to have to use molds either. But still worth it.
Glad to hear it wasn't just me though! :)
Ditto - the PR English Muffins were good enough to eat (after toasting) but they were more like small rounds of french bread than English Muffins.
I was hoping for something closer to Thomas' English Muffins - disappointed.
I always use this sourdough English muffin recipe and really like it. I don't always get the proper holes in the crumb, but it still tastes distinctly like an english muffin should.
I will try it. I am a little burned out on the taste of sourdough at the moment. My starter is slumbering so perhaps I should awaken it? I am glad to know that I am not the only one who had a problem with PR's recipe. I don't know what else to do with it- the AB recipe only sits for 30 minutes (as I recall) before using- maybe that is the key? I am a novice compared to most of you guys so if y'all can't make a recipe work either I don't feel quite so badly! After a failure I like to end my baking session with a success so I have 2 good-looking sunflower seed loaves happily proofing. I am to the point that I can throw together a utilitarian loaf (as in everyday bread to use for toast, etc.) with no recipe- just a basic formula and the ingredients change depending on what I have available to work with. I did a frissage on this dough- I love the feel of the dough beneath my hands. I did it 4 times at different intervals. I smiled thinking about how the dough goes from sticking to the board and my hands to sticking to its neighbor- it is like magic. In between manipulations I roasted some pork from my local Hispanic market (they have the best) to use in arepas- another first for me. Bread in any form is good, eh?
Amaz
http://www.hippolytacancook.blogspot.com/
Amaz
This recipe always works for me and they are delicious.
The dough is a bit soft and difficult to handle, so I end up sprinkling quite a bit of flour on it to manage it, but still get great results.
It's worth reviving your starter for these.
I have it bookmarked. Okay, here is a dumb question...how do I know what percentage my starter is? I tend to just feed it casually- throw in a cup or so of flour and some water, give it a stir, and forget it. If I want it to be stiffer for some reason I add more flour and less water a day or two ahead of time. At this point I have NO idea what you would call it...
Amaz
http://www.hippolytacancook.blogspot.com/
I've made them once and they are pretty good. Maybe if you start weighing your flour and water feedings now, you will soon have a better idea what your hydration is. Or you can approximate by texture. My 100% starter (which contains 20% rye and/or whole wheat) is the consistency of a very thick batter, not dough, about halfway between a thick pancake batter and muffin batter. It does not pour out of a spoon, but it is not thick enough to shape.
I don't even know what English muffins are - and I'm English!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muffin_%28English%29
'A muffin (US: English muffin), also known as a hot muffin, or a breakfast muffin, is a round, yeast-leavened form of bread almost always dusted with cornmeal. It is of English origin. Muffins may be eaten at breakfast in North America and Australia, but may be served as an afternoon meal in England.'
None of that is familiar to me. And where did the English in 'olden days' get cornmeal? I've never seen it used for an afternoon meal. Wiki isn't always reliable ... perhaps I'll edit the entry. Or perhaps I can't be bothered.
'Muffins are occasionally served as a breakfast or tea time meal.'
Not in my experience, ever.
I think the writer is confusing 'muffins' with pikelets. Certainly when the 'muffin man' came round our streets when I was a child he was selling pikelets. They are delicious and served hot with lots of butter, sometimes split and filled with jam, for tea. They're not as good now as they were when I was young. I've tried making them but not been successful either. Perhaps now that I have the wood burning stove I'll have another go, it will get hot enough.